FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 59 



even cognizauce of any man, where it is all this time exposed to many known power- 

 ful and destructive natural enemies, and probably many others equally so unknown, 

 Avhich prey upon it and, in accordance with that well-recognized law of nature, 

 keeps this seal life at a certain number— at a iigure which has been reached for ages 

 past and will continue to be in the future, as fiu* as they now are, their present max- 

 imum limit of increase, namely, between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 seals, in round 

 numbers. This law holds good everywhere throughout the animal kingdom, regu- 

 lating and preserving the ('(luilibrium of life in the state of nature. Did it not hold 

 good, these seal islands^nd all Bering Sea would have been literally covered and 

 have swarmed like the Aleduna' of the waters long before the Russians discovered 

 them. But, according to the silent testimony of the rookeries which have been 

 abandoned by the seals, and the noisy, emphatic assurance of those now occupied, 

 there were no more seals when lirst s«en here by human eyes in 1786 and 1787 than 

 there are now in 1881, as far as all evidence goes. 



From my calculations previously given, it will he seen that 1,000,000 pups or young- 

 seals, in round numbers, are )>orn upon these islands of the Pribilov groui3 every 

 year; of this inimljer, one-half are males. These 500,000 young males, Ijeibre they 

 leave the islands for sea, during October and November, and when they are between 

 5 and months old, fat and hardy, have sutlered but a trilling loss in numbers, say 

 1 per cent, while on and about the islands of their birth, surrounding which and 

 upon which they have no enemies whatever to speak of; but, after they get well 

 down to the Pacihc, spread out over an innneuse area of watery highways in quest 

 of piscatorial food, they form the most helpless of their kind to resist or elude the 

 murderous teeth and carniverous attacks of basking sharks and killer whales. By 

 these agencies, during Iheir absence from the islands until their r(!appearance in the 

 following year, and in duly, they are so perceptibly diminished in number that I do 

 not think, fairly considered, more than one-half of the legion which leit the ground 

 of their birth in October conic up the next July to these favorite landing places; 

 that is, only 250,000 of them r»tnrn out of the 500,000 born the year i)revious. The 

 same statement, in every respect, applies to tlie going and the coming of the 500,000 

 female pu])S, which are identical in size, sha])e, and behavior. 



As yearlings, however, these 250,000 survivors of last year's birth have become 

 strong, lithe, and active swimmers, and when they again leave the hauling grounds 

 as before, in the fall, they are fully as able as are the older class to take caro of 

 themselves, and when they reappear next year, at least 22.5,000 of them safely return 

 in the second season after birth. From this on, I belie^■e that they live out their 

 natural lives of 15 to 20 years each, the death rate now caused by the visitation of 

 marine enemies affecting them, in the aggregate, but slightly. And, again, the same 

 will hold good touching the females, the average natural life of which, however, I 

 take to be only 9 or 10 years each. 



Out of these 225,000 young males we are required to save only one-fifteenth of their 

 number to pass over to the breeding grounds and meet there the 225,000 yonng 

 females. In other words, tlie polygamous habit of tliis animal is such that, by its 

 own volition, I do not think that more than one male annually out of fifteen born is 

 needed on the Ijreeding grounds in the fnturt^ liut in my calculations, to ])e within 

 the margin and to make sure tliat I save 2-year old males enough every season, I 

 will more tlian double tliis ]iropiirtion and set aside every fifth one of tlie joung 

 males in question; that will leave 180.000 seals in good condition that can be safely 

 killed every year without the slightest injury to the perpetua.tion of the stock itself 

 forever in all its original integrity.' 



' When regarding the subject in 1872-73 of how many surplus young males could 

 be wisely taken from the I'ribilov stock, I satisfied myself that more than 100,000 

 could be drawn u]ion annually for their skins, isnd hence was impressed with the 

 idea that the business might be safely developed to a greater maximum. Since then, 

 however, I have been giving attention to the otlier side of the (|uestion, which 

 involves the market for skins and the practical working of any sliding scale of 

 increased killing, such as I then recommended. A careful review of the whole matter 

 modified my original idea and caused me to think that, all things considered, it is 

 better to "let well enough alone." Althougli it \\ oiild be a most interesting com- 

 mercial experiment to develop the yield of the I'ribilov Islands to their full capacity, 

 yet, in view of the anomalous and curious features of the case, it is wiser to be sat- 

 isfied with the assured guarantee of perpetuation in all original integrity, which the 

 experience of tlie last ten years gives us on the in-esent basis of 100,000, than to risk it 

 by y)Ossibly doubling the revenue therefrom. Therefore, I am not now in favor of my 

 earlier proposition of gradually increasing the killing until the maximum number 

 of surplus "holluschickie" should lie ascertained. 



In the above showing T have put the A'ery extreme estimate upon the loss sustained 

 at sea by the pup seals too large I am morally certain: but, in attempting to draw 

 this line safely, I wish to place the matter in the very worst light in which it can 



